Cyprus-Forum.com

[k'n'G]

Dear all - Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

1.Private Healthcare, can you give me an idea of the prices for 2 adults in the 40 age range and in good health and is it really necessary if we are paying into the state system and getting free health care?

2.Shipping a 20ft container , how much approx and can you ship a car in the container (1999 Fiesta and what tax applies want to use this as a run around but not sure if its worth it) and can it go in with normal house hold items ?

3. We will be working for ourselves but wonder if we are paying into the social security in cyprus as well as continuing to pay our state pensions at home will we get a pension in Cyprus as well ?

[Crivens]

1. I am 34 and pay £23 a month to Atlantic for no excess private cover. Think it covers upto a million quid or so. We were told we had to get private health care for immigration. Not sure on free health care

2. Mine was a 20ft container with a car in it (MX5). Had all house stuff in and they built a wooden shelf type thing around the car (to load more stuff above). Think I was ripped off though (although everyone here swears blind about Envoy here for some reason) because came to around £5.5k (Ascot area to Limassol). I was told would be about 3k (for full packing/unpacking) with a little extra once I got to Cyprus (for being on a higher floor). Shame I didn't get everything clear as once I got here I was then told the little extra was actually £2.5k (for the local company Orbit). Well annoyed (but what can you do when they have everything you own in a tin box?). Also annoying as they wouldn't take it off the ship as they hadn't been paid yet (some muckup with cheques). Took days to work out (just before Xmas too)... Should have gone with another company who said they wouldn't build above car (because could be damaging) and have a 40ft container for no-hidden cost price of just over £5k. Anyway, from what I've heard you should be able to get what I got for about £3k. Also make sure you aren't getting sub-contracted. The company I went with sub-contracted another company, who then sub-contracted another company (they wore the other companies T-shirts apparently). And you know who is losing out when you should have gone directly to the source...

3. I believe you can carry on paying the state pension, but I don't know how that will effect tax etc. I mean the best thing possible is to remove yourself from the UK. My current wages would be eaten by UK tax (it was when I lived there), but is rather nice here. I didn't bother with carrying on the state pension after all the stories about it not existing when we retire. Currently though we pay about £120 or so each a month for social insurance out here on our limited company.

Cheers

[beverley10]

HI,Welcome to the forum.
In 2005 we shipped our 4x4 and household effects (not much furniture or white goods) and it went groupage in a 40ft container.It took nearly 6 weeks through Doray Bonner and cost us,with insurance,just under £4000.The company that delivered it were marvellous but left us to unwrap it all (we did'nt mind that) and as soon as we phoned them to collect all the boxes etc,it was gone within a couple of days. Unfortunately,we had to ship car and personal effects back in 2006 (due to no job etc) and it only cost us CY£1700! Mind you there was some damage both to car and a table but not enough to make it worth claiming on.
With regard to your car,Do'nt bother,if it is over 5 years old you will pay through the nose and putting it on Cyprus plates also costs too much.A fiesta is no good for Cyprus roads either so save your money and buy over there.

[juliesewell]

We also shipped in 2004 - but in February, before joining the EU. Once Cyprus became a member of the EU then VAT had to be paid so this could account for the increase in prices.

We used Britannia shippers from UK for a 20ft container and cost a little over £4k - no vehicles involved though.

[JB Bear]

Hi k'n'G

Well I have read all the posts and I cant beleive what I am reading

I can understand why you lot needed to go through an agency in the first place,

Why could you not do it on your own??? I did!!!!!


I moved to Cyprus in 1996 so the prices were cheaper then,
I had 2 x 40foot containers, but not at the same time which cost of £600.00 each

For that money I had to fill the container myself, (yes i did have help mainly friends) took us 7 hours but doesn't matter we did it,

6 weeks later it came into limassol port , I found a clearing agent who charge me £300.00 clear it £20.00 for a lorry to delivery to my house and then paid for 6 SRI LANKA boys to unload at £20.00 each for all day


so the over all cost for 2 containers was:

2 Container £1020.00CYP
2 lots of clearing agent £ 600.00CYP
2 lots Lorries £ 40.00CYP
12 Boys £240.00CYP

Total £1900.00CYP

so i save myself over £3000.00

I know the prices have gone up, but year or so ago someone ask me if I know of a container company, so I said yes,

He had 1 x 40foot container which cost him £1000.00GBP or a little bit more, then the agency fees, but save on boy power because he had me helping him for that, and a few more friends.

So what I am saying it can be done.

Next question;
this 1999 Fiesta, personally it not worth shipping its more than 5 years old and you would have to duties on it, ( cant remember the price for duties)
best thing sell the car in the UK and buy one over here.

Next Question:
Private Health-care,

I am in the same age group as you, and I am with universal life and pay £313.00 per year.
you don't pay into any state system, I wont get any free health-care unless you are married to Cypriot.

next Question:
Working:
this is going to be a good one

So you are going to start up a business then (good Luck) you are going to need it, you will pay as an employer social insurance, which is 6.3% of your monthly wage, business tax was 4.5% now it 10% since we join the EU, there is a lot more but would take to long to write. best thing is to look into having a business here, (its hard-work I should know)

pension:
I cant comment on UK pension, don't know anything about them, but the only one you will get in Cyprus is a private one there is no state pension if that is what you are asking?


these questions you are asking are very British questions , you are coming to live in what was a poor country and still is in many cases,

i would say 75% of cypriots don't have medical insurance and as far as car tax they don't buy let alone car insurance they cant afford it,

things are getting better over here but have a long way to go,

anyway hope my information is some help.

[Crivens]

Why could you not do it on your own??? I did!!!!!

My sister did and it worked out fine for her. With us though we had a lot of expensive IT products (including a fair few computers setup for the work we do as programmers with a company in the UK) and were told we wouldn't get insurance if we packed it ourselves. After a fair bit of research on several different forums (possibly this one, I can't remember) I went for a full packing option to be 100% sure (plus we were lazy), and considering the prices suggested on the forums for this company I felt confident they would be good. Considering the quote of £3k (about right from forum suggestions for the company with full packing of a 20ft container and car) that I was happy with then I went ahead. The only stupid thing was not making 100% sure that the price included *everything*. But I didn't expect another £2.5k. Very stupid of me in hindsight. And annoyingly put me off forum recommendations, which have served me well in the past for pretty much everything I order line (which is a lot since I program this sort of thing for a living).

Cheers

[k'n'G]

Thank you all very much for your advice if anybody has any more please post it - thanks again